Hubris Myths

Kathleen Tran
Rehling
English 2/Period 5
24 September 2010
Hubris Myths
Many people from the past have told the stories about hubris and today we still talk about it. Hubris is a word which means “foolish pride”. In Greek myths, it talks about a mortal thinking that they are either better or wiser than the supreme Gods and Goddesses. Now this is what causes the trouble. In these myths, they all have a meaning about life. It also teaches us a very important lesson.
One myth where a mortal is punished for having hubris is the myth of Arachne. She was a very talented weaver and spinner. She bragged to the Gods and Goddesses that her weaving is much better than Athena. Athena wasn’t very happy after she heard this and so she decided to challenge Arachne to a weaving competition. Eventually, Athena won the contest. Athena knows that no one can beat her at weaving. Arachne is sent to Tartarus for her foolish pride in thinking that she is better than Athena. Athena then transformed Arachne into a spider. Arachne means “spider” in Greek. As her punishment, she would have to spin a web for eternity. If you think you are stronger, better, or smarter than any of the Gods, bad things will happen to you just like what happened to Arachne. So you should think before you mess with anybody.
In another myth, there was a water-nymph named Clytie. She has no idea who Apollo really is but she fell in love with him. When Apollo rides his sun chariot across the sky each morning, Clytie would come outside to gaze at him, hoping that he would just look at her. Clytie did this everyday and continued until Apollo finally notices her standing there. Something very strange is happening to Clytie. Leaves started growing and her toes began to become roots. Clytie soon turned into a yellow sunflower because she stood in the sun for so long. This is how the Greek myth tells us where the sunflower came from. In the summer time, we see sunflowers bloom because the weather is so hot.
There is a lesson to be learned from this last myth. It is about a father and a son who are both imprisoned by King Minos on the island of Crete. The father was named Daedalas and the son was Icarus. Daedalas thought of an invention and created two pairs of wings made out of feathers and wax so they can escape the Labyrinth. Daedalas warned his son about the dangers of flying. If he flew too low near the waters, his wings would get wet and if he flew too high, the sun would melt the wax. Icarus was so excited about flying that he completely forgets what his father says. He flew so high and close to the sun that his wings melted and he fell into the sea. This story tells us that we should always listen to our parents and take responsibility.